City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

CITY-LEVEL DECOUPLING: URBAN RESOURCE FLOWS AND THE GOVERNANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSITIONS

At the same time, the project was to provide sustainable employment and skills development opportunities for the local community. 248 This was to be achieved by installing insulated ceilings, solar water heaters (SWHs) and energy-efficient lighting in 2,309 homes in Kuyasa. Community ownership was recognised as a key ingredient for success, so the project was designed to focus on this from planning through to implementation. 249

Practical implementation and benefits

After three years of planning in partnership with SouthSouthNorth (a non-profit organisation delivering community-based climate mitigation projects) and the beneficiary community, 250 the City of Cape Town registered Kuyasa as a CDM project in 2005. A business plan by the South African Export Development Fund (SAEDF) allowed SWH installations to begin in 2008. 241 The SAEDF has underwritten the project, and oversees it with the help of a Kuyasa resident manager. 252 The cost of the project to date has been approximately R36 million (approximately US$4 million 251 ). 253 Funding came primarily from the Provincial Department of Housing, assisted by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability 254 with the balance from the SAEDF. 255 A conventional approach to the provision of energy services could not have offered the sustainable development benefits of the Kuyasa project. The use of energy-efficient light bulbs, insulated ceilings and SWHs has reduced household electricity requirements, and thus the carbon dioxide emissions and climate impact associated with daily life. Households save on the cost of energy services, while enjoying the health benefits of an insulated home. 256 The community’s involvement in the installation and maintenance of these interventions has provided skills development and sustainable employment opportunities to Kuyasa residents, rather than the usual outsourced 'install-and-go' approach. As a CDM project, income can be derived from the sale of carbon reduction certificates (CERs) to expand installations and employ local residents to provide maintenance to SWHs on a long-term basis. 257 CDM projects are required to produce quarterly monitoring reports by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 258 In addition to these evaluations, a sample baseline survey of 2,000 households was conducted in 2008, with a follow-up survey of 700 households in 2009. 258 The survey noted the following socio-economic and ecological improvements: 260 • On average, R150 (approximately US$16) was saved per month per household in winter as residents were buying less electricity and paraffin; • The frequency of respiratory illness such as pulmonary pneumonia and tuberculosis was found to have decreased in 76% of households surveyed, due to better insulation and a reduction in paraffin use; Contribution to urban sustainability

• 87 jobs had been created in the working team;

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